Helping Hispanic parents increase communication with teachers: An intervention based on implementation intentions

Zayra N Longoria, Purdue University

Abstract

The current research examined the effects of an implementation intentions intervention aimed at increasing parent-teacher communication among Hispanic parents. Previous research suggests that Hispanics are especially hard to reach for treatment/training because of insufficient time, mistrust of researchers, and the expectation that they should not interfere with a teacher’s job. As such it is crucial to develop an easily implemented intervention that increases parent-teacher communication but does not require intensive participation in a training program. The main hypothesis was that participants who intended to communicate with their child’s teacher would be more likely do so if they formed implementation intentions compared to participants who only formed goal intentions. Participants were obtained from a broader study testing an eight-week parenting program for Hispanic parents. Participating parents: (1) completed a measure of teacher communication (dependent variable), as well as measures of intentions to communicate, acculturation, and various demographic characteristics; (2) were randomly assigned to either form implementation intentions (treatment condition) or simply form goal intentions (control condition) to communicate with their children’s teachers; and (3) completed post-manipulation measures of communication and intentions once a week for 8 weeks. The results provided support for the hypothesis, consistent with extant literature on the effectiveness of an implementation intentions manipulation: Among participants with higher initial (pre-manipulation) intentions to communicate, those who formed implementation intentions (treatment group) communicated with teachers significantly more than those who did not form implementation intentions. The manipulation did not have a significant effect on those with relatively lower initial intentions. That is, intent to communicate with teachers moderated the effect of experimental condition on parent-teacher communication. These findings have important implications for increasing parent-teacher communication among Hispanic parents. Results indicate that for parents who are motivated to be involved in their children’s education, forming implementation intentions can help them overcome the barriers that often keep them communicating with teachers (e.g., not speaking the same language as teachers, cultural expectations about the role of parents as educators).

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Arriaga, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Social psychology|School administration|Educational psychology|Hispanic American studies

COinS